P E 



attract Sap from the Root w'.ll b? 

 much fpent and loft, at the feveral 

 frefh cut Inlets. 



Befides, if it were no Advantage 

 to the Trees to prune them at this 

 Seafon (which I think no one will 

 have Reafon to doubt, after making 

 the Trial) ; but that it only fucceeds 

 as well as the Spring-pruning ; yet 

 there is a great Advantage in doing 

 of it at Michaelmas ; for that being 

 a much more leifure Seafon with 

 Gardeners than the Spring, they will 

 have more time to perform it care- 

 fully ; and then they will not have 

 too many Things come together, 

 which may require to be immedi- 

 ately executed : for the Spring be- 

 ing the principal Seafon for cropping 

 their Kitchen-gardens, and attend- 

 ing their Hot-beds, if tr.ey are dif- 

 engaged from the Bufmefs of Prune- 

 ing at that time, it will be of great 

 Advantage, efpecially where there 

 is a great Quantity of Walling. And 

 there is alfo another benefit in Prune- 

 ing at this Seafon ; which the 

 having the Borders at Liberty to dig 

 and make clean before the Spring ; 

 fo that the Garden may not appear 

 in Litter at that Seafon. 



Having faid thus much concerning 

 the time of Pruning, I mail now 

 proceed to give fome ceneral 

 Directions how it is to be performed 

 on Peach and Ne£larine-trees,which 

 require a very different Manage- 

 ment from moft other Sorts of 

 Fruits. 



In Pruning of thefe Tree?, you 

 mould always obferve to cut them 

 behind a Wood-bud, which may be 

 eafily diftinguifhed from the B!of- 

 fom-buds, that are morter, rounder, 

 and more turgid, than the Wood- 

 buds : for if the Shoot have not a 

 leading Bnd where it is cut, it is ve- 

 ry apt to die down to the next lead- 

 ing Bud j fo that what jfruit may 



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Le produced above that, will come 

 to nothing, there being always a 

 NeceHity of a leading Bud to attract 

 the Nourifhment ; for it is not fu in- 

 dent that they have a Leaf-bud, as 

 fome have imagined, f nee that will 

 attract but a fmall Quantity of 

 Noiirifhment ; the great Ufeof the 

 Leaves being to perfpire away fuch 

 crude Juices as are unfit to enter 

 the Fruit : the Length you mould 

 leave thefe Branches, mould be pro- 

 portion^ to the Strength of theTree, 

 which, in an healthy ftrongTree, 

 may be left ten Inches or more ; 

 but, in a weak one, they mould not 

 be more than fix Inches : however, 

 in this you muft be guided by the 

 Portion of a leading Bud ; for it is 

 better to leave a Shoot three cr four 

 Inches longer, or to cut it two or 

 three Inches fhorter, than we would 

 choofe to do, provided there be one 

 of thefe Buds; it being abfoluteiy 

 neceffarv for the future Welfare of 

 the! ree : you mould alfo cut out in- 

 tirely all weak Shoots, tho' they may 

 have many Bloffum - buds upon 

 them ;" for thefe have not Strength 

 enough to nourifh the Fruit, fo as 

 to give it a kindly Flavour ; but 

 they will weaken the other Parts of 

 the Tree. 



In nailing the Shoots to the Wall, 

 you muft be careful to place them at 

 as equal Diftances as poffible, that 

 their Leaves, when come out, may 

 have room to grow, without fhading 

 the I ranches too much ; and you 

 mould never nail them upright, if it I 

 can be prevented ; for when they 

 are thus trained, they are very fub- 

 ject to fhoot from the uppermoft 

 Eyes^ : and the lower Part of the I 

 Shoots will thereby become naked, f 



There is not any thing in th< 

 Bufmefs of Gardening, which ha- 

 more exercifed the Thoughts of thi 

 Cuhou.s, than how to preierve thei • 



tend el 



